Michal DESPISED David for dancing before the Lord

[tonychanyt]

2S 6:

12b David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing. 13 And when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. 14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn.

It was a celebration occasion. People were in a party mood.

16 As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.

It's bad sign when a wife despises her husband. Something was wrong in their relationship. Michal was the party pooper. Why?

20b But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!”

She didn't think her husband the king behaved properly with royal dignity. She failed to appreciate the spiritual connection between David and God. David humbled himself before God and rejoiced in the Lord in dancing with all his might. She couldn't relate to that. She had trouble relating to God as her sovereign and relating to David as her husband.

21 And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father

David vented his anger to her and her father. He wasn't being nice to his wife, and the two had a communication problem.

and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord. 22 I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes.

Now he was being sarcastic and threatening:

But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” 23 And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

Michal says that David is a fool for dancing. Is she correct?

No, she was wrong. David did it to show his humility and joy before the Lord. She couldn't relate to that. This episode showed how different their personalities were and their marriage was on the rocks.

 

[Reluctant Theologian]

2S 6:


It was a celebration occasion. People were in a party mood.


It's bad sign when a wife despises her husband. Something was wrong in their relationship. Michal was the party pooper. Why?


She didn't think her husband the king behaved properly with royal dignity. She failed to appreciate the spiritual connection between David and God. David humbled himself before God and rejoiced in the Lord in dancing with all his might. She couldn't relate to that. She had trouble relating to God as her sovereign and relating to David as her husband.


David vented his anger to her and her father. He wasn't being nice to his wife, and the two had a communication problem.


Now he was being sarcastic and threatening:


Michal says that David is a fool for dancing. Is she correct?

No, she was wrong. David did it to show his humility and joy before the Lord. She couldn't relate to that. This episode showed how different their personalities were and their marriage was on the rocks.

It's quite well possible that although Michal was returned to David after her marriage with Paltiel (1 Samuel 25:44); they never had a proper marriage relationship from that point on because that would be a violation of Torah (Deuteronomy 24:1-4):

1 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house,
2 and she goes and becomes another man’s wife,
3 and if the latter husband turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband who took her to be his wife dies,
4 then her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before YHWH and you shall not bring sin on the land which YHWH your God gives you as an inheritance."

David resuming physical marriage with Michal would be an abomination before YHWH the text implies. I don't think the fact that Michal was taken from David and forced to marry Paltiel changes the basic principle presented.

Her return likely was a political/PR move.